This @latimes piece captures something pretty fundamental about Trump, Stephen Miller, and WH immigration policy. *Step 1*: The President understands his actions in the most basic sense ("I& #39;m suspending immigration right now"). https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-04-22/trump-signs-order-further-restricting-immigrationand">https://www.latimes.com/politics/... 1/

Miller has clearly goaded him on in the usual way: not by actually making an argument about immigration policy, but by appealing to Trump& #39;s sense of his own power. So you get Trump& #39;s tweet, "suspending immigration temporarily." 2/

*Step 2*: DHS scrambles to create a policy around the President& #39;s rough instinct. Something that looks & sounds tough, since the symbolism is as much the point as anything else. (After all, Miller& #39;s already succeeded in shutting down the border & slowing down visa processing.) 3/

*Step 3*: "The President is briefed," with a thousand scare quotes around the word "briefed." Seems from this solid LA Times report that he has no clue what& #39;s in the proclamation he& #39;s actually signing. When asked, he more or less just repeats his original tweet. 4/

And the kicker: when the reporters point out to Miller the obvious discrepancies in the proclamation btw what the Trump said on Twitter & what he& #39;s signing, Miller flips out. I& #39;m not convinced he& #39;s truly *flipping out* so much as staging the hyperbole to cover his tracks. end/